TriMet Selects GlobeSherpa to Develop Next Generation Mobile Apps

GlobeSherpa has been selected by TriMet to design, build, test, and deploy new mobile applications as part of an electronic fare payment system (eFare) for transit agencies serving the Greater Portland, Ore., region.

The eFare project will revolutionize the way transit customers in the region pay their fares. Designed to incorporate leading edge electronic payment technologies to make travel on transit more convenient for customers, the system will provide the region’s transit agencies with a more efficient and secure fare collection platform.

TriMet chose GlobeSherpa through a competitive process to create an account-based mobile fare management system set to launch 2016. As part of the project, GlobeSherpa will work with INIT Innovations in Transportation Inc. to deliver the following features:

An account management mobile app for riders to manage their smartcards

A tap and pay feature of the account management mobile app that lets riders use their NFC and/or BLE enabled handset as a virtual card to pay their fare and access the system.

“TriMet is pleased to expand its partnership with GlobeSherpa to provide our riders the next generation of fare payment technologies,” said Chris Tucker, director of revenue operations at TriMet. “We have seen an overwhelmingly positive response to mobile ticketing over the last year and we expect the eFare mobile project to deliver additional value to transit riders across the region.”

TriMet partnered with GlobeSherpa to design, build, test, and deploy TriMet Tickets, the nation’s first mobile ticketing solution for use on buses, light-rail, commuter rail, and streetcars. Since its launch in September 2013, the TriMet Tickets app has been downloaded more than 121,000 times with nearly 2 million tickets sold to date.

“We believe mobile is the future of transit,” said Nat Parker, CEO of GlobeSherpa. “TriMet and its partner agencies are demonstrating that leading the way and embracing these new technologies can have a profound impact on improving the rider experience.”